I agree with the majority. It's light weight and, in my part of the world, can be invaluable in so many ways.

Are you thinking about certain fire starters that are relatively large? In a pinch, I could fit a highly dependable fire starter underneath the band on my watch. For example...
http://firesteel.com/products/FireSteel-Miniature.html

With that tiny rod and my other equipment I would have with me, I can start a fire in a wide variety of conditions. Without any planned fire starter means, I doubt I would be able to start a fire in a variety of conditions.

Is everybody here doing a fully informed cost/benefit analysis?

I Love Firesteel.com Firesteels I own like 10 pups from them. They are extremely cost effective being 1$ ONE...DOLLAR... Its amazing how people consider to not carry one at the price and size of these things.

Ditto - I've got their Firesteels spread out all over - home, car, packs, purse, wallet.

Firesteels, matches and BIC lighters are cheap, and lightweight, insurance.

Do you actually believe that rain, wind, and lack of shelter are unique to Wales? I can show you plenty of all three over here in the colonies and in locations that are much further from roads and other civilized amenities than anything in GB. Think Gila Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Grand Canyon to name a few. Within all of these areas there are spots where natural fuels can be sparse, especially in the winter. It is then a good idea to carry some sort of stove and fuel, whose total weight can be surprisingly light and well worth it.

Proper clothing and appropriate sheltering material make sense wherever and whenever one goes out to play.

My comment about differences had more to do with the evident lack of fuel in Wales, an area with which I am, regrettably not familiar. On my one trip to Great Britain, I stopped briefly in the Lake District and in Glencoe. It was during an absolutely wonderful late summer and I have never experienced the storms for which those regions are justly famous for, but bad weather is bad weather the world over. I suspect there must be a difference in land use ethics between the Wild West and Merrie Old England. I could well imagine you can't just simply sit down, pull the branches off a tree, and light a bonfire... Correct?

I am afraid I would still consider carrying my fire items, all of which fit easily in the palm of my hand and weigh maybe 2-3 oz. Even more likely I would have my stove and the ability to brew up that all important Nice Cup of Tea. my British roots are still evident......

Watch the hypothermia segment of this season's premire of Bear's show and remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a tonne of cure, and that every weapon in your arsenal might help in the fight. Carry both.

Heat sheet, AMK bivvy, mylar blanket, poncho... lots of lighweight, small space, inexpensive opitions for shelter.

Firesteel, lighter, matches, sparklight, cotton balls, quick tinder, dryer lint, esbit tabs, candles ... lots of lighweight, small space, inexpensive opitions for fire.

Its kind of embarrassing, but I didn't used to carry a method of starting a fire on a regular basis until I saw the movie Cast Away, and that got me to thinking how tough it would be to start a file without any extra gear, how easy it would be to carry a tiny Boy Scout Hotspark ferro rod.

In my mind its kind of silly not to carry at least something since making fire with natural materials is so tough for most of us.

BTW, here I'm talking about getting the "spark", not so much about carrying material that lights easily ... which would be a great idea if outdoors (camping, backpacking, ...).

We all make our own decisions as to what our priorities to carry are. I tend to agree with those who feel fire starting tools/materials are so light and inexpensive, I won't go anywhere without them.

Perhaps one other point to consider is just as knife can help you make other tools such as a long spear, bow, help provide shelter, etc. , I feel that fire can also become another tools itself and that help boost its priority for me.

Plus it gives me great comfort when I out for a night to have a fire going, and we always hear that attitude is a big factor in survival. So, that said, go with what makes you most comfortable.

my $0.02

buckeye

Do we need firestarters?

In some places, and some times, they can be essential. In others times and places they are a redundancy whose burden is in proportion to the weight/bulk that goes unused. But offset by the odds you may not have a complete understanding of the time and situation.

An acquaintance who hikes the desert SW carried something for years, I forget what it was. The areas he hiked were alive with tinder. Then one year there was a freak storm that came in and the desert got heavy rain for a couple of days and all that bone dry tinder was soaking wet. It was a once in a century event.

That said the center of logs and certain waxy plants are immune to anything buy long term immersion. A few grams of starter made it easier but it wasn't he was stuck without it.

I don't spend much time in the woods any more. In the suburban/rural environment in this part of Florida tinder is not in short supply.

Good shelter and a fire together, along with some food and water, are man's best friends. A small butane lighter is a very reliable fire starter. Not exactly primitive, but compact and effective :-)

Pete #2